Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation

Lou Lumpkin Letter, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Content Description

Collection contains a single ten page letter written during the Civil War by a displaced woman from Georgia named Lou Lumpkin to a woman named Philipina "Rena" McDowell. The letter discusses Lou Lumpkin's current living situation in Virginia and her unrequited feelings of love.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• American Civil War, 1861-1865
• Gay and lesbian studies--United States--History
• Georgia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
• Love letters
• Personal narratives
• Southern States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Confederate.
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Women--Sources
• Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Women--Virginia--History